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  • 30 Mar 2020 4:00 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)

    The Global Hunger Index 2019 concludes that—India has once again fallen from its previous ranks, among other countries. It has been tagged as a country with ‘serious’ levels of hunger. This is a significant concern for India, with many children dying due to hunger and poverty.

    Reports from UNICEF suggests that India is running through the worst phase of development for providing sufficient nutrition and better life care to the citizens.

    So, what is the solution?

    The answer is - ‘Empowering Women’, especially in the rural areas of India, because rural India faces an acute poverty level than that of urban set-up.

    In rural areas, women form a significant part of the agricultural section. With various roles being played by the rural Indian women as farmers, farmworker, caregivers, etc. they form an integral part of an agrarian society. Many of us would agree that women give more significance to the health and nutrition education, as well as other household activities of the family. A survey report from the “United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization” says that while female farmers’ roles may vary across regions; they frequently have less access to resources and opportunities. Slamming this gender gap could lift as many as 150 million people out of hunger, amounting to 17% globally.

    The Government of India has started many programs to improve the hunger picture of India.

    • POSHAN ABHIYAN - is ‘India’s flagship program to improve matrimonial outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mother by leveraging technology, a targeted approach. It was primarily launched in 2018 to reduce the occurrence of malnutrition and stunting in children by the year 2022.

    Studies claim that though the target is ‘desirable’ still, many Indian states are running far behind and may not be able to reach those targets.

    • Mid-Day Meal Program and Integrated Child Development Scheme - The Government, must look towards implementing other nutrition-related schemes, including mid-day meal program and integrated child development scheme to nourish every child. Educating rural women plays a very crucial role here. There is a direct link between the knowledge of the mother and the nutrition of her child.

    ‘Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey’ (CNNS)—studied 1.3 lakh children and found out that–higher the level of schooling of mothers, higher is the focus on nutrition and diet of their children. Rural women who have traditionally been denied empowerment have seen the consequences in the forms of acute hunger and malnutrition-related deaths of children. With several reports recommending a direct link between women empowerment of rural set-up with the improved nutrition, as well as levels of education of women with that of nutritious diets of the children; our government should pay attention to empowering this section of the society. With the empowerment of rural women lies the future of relieving from hunger and poverty of our nation.

    EKAM FOUNDATION - is a non-profit organization that works towards providing quality healthcare to needy children and mothers in India. EKAM’s vision is to work for the welfare of children and mothers and thereby contribute to empower them. As a child’s health and well-being are dependent on the mother’s well-being, interventions are adapted to address the challenges.

  • 25 Mar 2020 4:07 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    Neonatal Mortality Rate in India is among the highest in the world and skewed towards rural areas. Absence of trained workforce along with poor healthcare infrastructure is one of the significant hurdles in ensuring quality neonatal care.

    Recruiting and retaining trained workforce in rural areas is essential to improve the quality of Neonatal care services. This proposed strategy is likely to reduce morbidity among neonatal survivors as well.

    Causes -

    The underlying causes of neonatal mortality in India–are infections, birth asphyxia, and prematurity. India is one of the ten countries that account for more than 65% of all intrapartum related neonatal deaths. Unsatisfactory progress in newborn survival in India poses concern regarding reducing under-5 child mortality.

    • The Scale of Neonatal Deaths in India

    Around four million deaths occur every year globally, in the first month of life. 90% of neonatal deaths arise in low-income and middle-income countries. In India, around one million newborns, die each year before their first month of life, contributing to one-fourth of the global burden.

    Urban-Rural differences in neonatal death exist with the mortality rates more significant by 50% in rural, compared to 28.5% in urban areas, according to the–National Family Health Survey.

    • Healthcare Framework in Rural Set-up -

    - Rural Health Build

    In spite of having a comparatively higher neonatal mortality rate, rural India is tackling the problem of ill-equipped public healthcare facilities. Community Health Centers form the uppermost tier, and their function is mainly to provide specialized obstetric and childcare.

    • Crucial Initiatives to Improve Newborn Health by the ‘Government of India’-

    Indian Government has launched various initiatives predicting a high priority action concerning neonatal health. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA’s) are being assigned the responsibility to create awareness in the community regarding maternal and child health issues. They are also expected to mobilize the community and help them in acquiring healthcare services. A safe motherhood intervention called– “Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)” has been implemented to raise the delivery rates and offer skilled care at birth.

    The Government of India [with the help of UNICEF], has begun to set up individual care newborn units for managing sick newborns. These health units have been established at district hospitals.

    Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was launched to promote institutional delivery, eliminate out-of-pocket expenses, and facilitate prompt referral through free transport.

    Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK), a program on primary newborn care is being launched to address essential interventions at the time of birth. The purpose is to have one person well trained in critical neonatal care at every delivery.

    Neonatal health is one of the priorities in the list of the Government, which gets reflected in the various programs devised and implemented. The reluctance of the trained workforce, especially doctors, to serve in rural areas has become a significant impediment in the Government’s ability to provide quality health services.

    • Challenges

    The main obstacles in improving newborn survival are that—many babies are born at home without being attended by skilled personnel. Faulty home-based practices are widespread. Lack of awareness among caregivers’ limits care-seeking for neonatal illness, but even if this is corrected, lack of trained health staff, adds to the problem. Another difficulty exists in bringing the neonates and the health system closer to each other. There are broadly two ways of doing so–either bring the health system closer to the newborn or take the neonate closer to the health system. Both of these are possible and hold the promise to yield positive results.

    The provision for better financial incentives oriented correctly to doctors working in rural areas might be crucial to attract and also retain doctors in the area. Therefore, the experience with paying direct financial incentives, such as rural allowances, has been variable.

    Conclusion

    Bringing qualified health professionals to be rural and underserved areas—is a very challenging job, which needs to be addressed urgently to avert neonatal mortality.

    Training of rural healthcare providers, promoting home-based newborn care, creating community awareness and community mobilization along with strengthening public-private partnerships should be explored. As evidence generated from previous studies and large-scale projects support these strategies, it is a way to improve neonatal health.

    Our team at ‘EKAM FOUNDATION’ can help the underprivileged and poor mothers to safeguard their health and that of their infants.

  • 19 Mar 2020 4:12 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    If a country’s rural education division is working fine, it reflects on the complete economic state of the country.

    Let us see how we can upgrade the—‘Rural Education Scenario.’

    There is no doubt that education plays a very crucial role in shaping an individual’s personality. As per the survey, India’s organized sector has only 36 million people which forms a tiny stratum of the total population. This statement itself says a lot about the Indian literacy rate and the education system.

    Even though India’s literacy rate has shown some growth over the last few years, it has not been able to impart the kind of education that current times demand.

    There are several issues that the Indian education system is undergoing, and the major one is —the inadequate rural education framework.

    Major obstacles in the rural education system-

    We cannot deny the fact that even today, a considerable part of India population still resides in the rural set-up. However, there is hardly any attention being paid to the education system existing.

    According to a survey report called the Annual Status of Education Report, more than 60% of the students in 5th standard attending rural schools are not able to read a lower grade textbook.

    This clearly explains various issues that are crippling our agricultural education system—

    • Lack of adequate schools: The rural parts of India are already struggling a lot when it comes to local transportation. This problem poses a massive threat to education. The problem in transport coupled with schools located at long distance in rural areas, force parents not to send the kids to the schools, thus keeping them devoid of education.
    • Lack of affordable educational institutions: Residents of rural India usually come with little income sources which are generally needed for basic survival, making education out of their field. The lack of government schools in the local areas discourages parents from spending on their kids resulting in no education at all.
    • Inadequate School foundation: The schools in rural India have an inferior infrastructure. There is a lack of well-trained teachers. Eventually, this leads to inferior quality education.

    Rural-urban divide

    Even though we are one nation, we continue to have a rural-urban split in every aspect, including education.

    In the urban set-up, the number of schools is way higher in number as compared to rural India, which makes education more accessible. The teaching pattern also differs in urban schools. While the methodology is still primitive in rural schools, urban schools are keen on adopting modern ways of teaching, like concept learning and focus on the development of individual students.

    Solution for these circumstances—

    The answer to improving rural education is introducing better techniques to the education system, which can help rural students come on par with urban children.

    *Set up more schools: The parents in rural India can be promoted to send their kids to schools only if there are enough schools near their homes and at a very minimal cost. To those who come from a little financial background, the government must provide for their textbooks, library and laboratory facilities so that they are not left with any reason for not attending the schools.

    *Fuse technology and education: Rural schools need to impart significance to technology so that they are not left behind. Also, in this digital world, every child needs to be aware of underlying technologies and their usage.

    *Classes beyond Classrooms: If we want to make education engaging for students, it is imperative to start taking class lessons beyond the classrooms. Kids must know the world around them, and this can be done when they have been shown around.

    The rural-urban gap can be filled in, and we can create a common platform unifying student across the country, with a little help as a community.

    EKAM Foundation, a non-profit NGO, can help to bring about an improvement in the health and well-being of the community, mother and child. EKAM can help children and their parents to make them understand write papers the significance of education and welfare.

    Every activity or program that EKAM executes serves as the moral compass, guiding every decision and choice.

  • 14 Mar 2020 4:23 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    India is home to 253 million adolescents in the age group 10-19 years in India. Two million of them belong to scheduled tribes living in underserved, rural areas. This age group include individuals in a brief phase of life requiring nutrition, education and counselling to ensure their growth into healthy adults. They are liable to several preventable and treatable health problems, like unintended pregnancy, nutritional disorders like malnutrition, anaemia & overweight, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health concerns and violence.

    Health care issues—

    Adolescents in rural areas have impoverished physical environment. Increasing child marriage and poor antenatal care among adolescents are critical challenges in improving reproductive health. More than half of adolescents are undernourished. About 58% of adolescent girls are anemic.

    Challenges for adolescent health programs: What needs to be done?

    Conventionally, the adolescent age group (10–19 years) was considered a relatively healthy period of life. Although new infections and HIV frequency have been declining, the situation is still dire. Various health programs targeting adolescent health have been launched in the recent past.

    In 2019, about 2.3 million adolescents were living with HIV, and about 265,000 became newly infected with the virus. Adolescents living with HIV has grown, by 40% in the last few years. AIDS is now the leading cause among young people worldwide.

    Government of India has acknowledged the importance of influencing the health-seeking condition of adolescents. The health condition of this age group is a crucial determinant of India’s overall health, mortality and population growth scenario. Therefore, investments in the adolescent reproductive stage will yield dividends in terms of delaying the age at marriage, reducing the incidence of teenage pregnancy, reducing the maternal mortality and reducing HIV existence.

    It will also help India realize its demographic dividends, as healthy adolescents are an essential resource for the economy.

    Rastriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram—

    To establish a holistic development of the adolescent population, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Rastriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). The purpose is to reach out to the million adolescents – in rural and urban, married and unmarried, in and out-of-school adolescents—with special attention on marginalized groups. The scheme expands the scope of adolescent health programs in India. It now includes in its confines of nutrition and violence—non-communicable diseases. The energy of the program is its health promotion approach. Important drivers of the program are— community-based interventions such as—outreach by counsellors; facility-based counselling and empowering of “Adolescent Friendly Healthcare Clinics” across levels of care.

    Attention is on reorganizing the existing public health system to meet the needs of adolescents. Under this, a package of services includes preventive, promotive, curative and counselling services, routine check-ups at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care is provided research papers regularly to adolescents, married and unmarried girls, girls, during the clinic sessions.

    EKAM Foundation is an NGO, whose mission is to help the needy and underprivileged children, adolescents and mothers. The primary is not to replace but to supplement the Public health care system. Since the focus is on rural health, there have been gratifying results in terms of saving precious adolescent lives.

  • 9 Mar 2020 4:28 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    India is facing severe levels of malnutrition. It has been tagged as a country with ‘serious’ levels of hunger.

    There is a moral and technical failure in the world where hunger and malnutrition have yet to be eradicated.

    The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has ignited public awareness. The report estimated that one-third of the food produced globally is never eaten. The research underlying this remain widely cited today.

    FAO has been working to tailor pilot programs in the field and to improve practical understanding of how to make it possible to reduce food loss and waste in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

    India, in terms of hunger rankings, was 102nd in 2019. Child wasting rate is exceptionally high at 20.8%—the highest wasting rate of any country in this report for which data is available. There is conquering stunting, wasting and decreased infant mortality rate to some extent.

    “Prevention is essential when there is a need to improve maternal and child health outcomes. We also need to focus on the present burden of severe ‘Malnutrition’ in the country, that has not changed in the last decade. Malnourished women give birth to babies being born with low birth weight (LBW). Also, a single bout of diarrhoea can push an LBW baby towards acute malnutrition. Therefore, providing energy-dense nutritious food and access to clean water and sanitation for families is of utmost importance.

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    What is the solution?

    The requirement is to do what is possible without forgetting what is necessary. Nutrition is an intergeneration problem, and it is not like any other infectious disease. There can’t be any overnight changes in diet. Public health experts say that India needs some more time to tackle malnutrition and the efforts are going on. There is a need for more efforts, but it is taking time to show results.

    “Our actions have created a world in which it is becoming difficult to adequately and sustainably nourish the human population.

    “Climatic changes are affecting the global food system in ways that increase the threats to those who already suffer from hunger and undernutrition. It is highlighting that climate change affects the quality and safety of food. This can lead to the production of toxins on crops and worsen the nutritional value of cultivated food.

    The report states that climatic changes can bring down the concentrations of zinc, protein and iron in the crops. Therefore, by 205, an estimated additional 180 million people could be deficient in zinc, and another 123 million people could experience protein deficiencies. It is pathetic to see our country and the globe moving towards such situations.

  • 3 Mar 2020 4:32 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    Maternal Mortality rates are still high in India, indicating violation of women’s human right to life and health. Access to adequate information about maternal health rights and available services are essential aspects of realizing women’s power to accessible health care.

    Causes of Maternal Mortality—

    Under-nutrition adversely affects a large part of Women in India. An Undernourished mother inevitably gives birth to a low birth weight infant. Poor nutrition starts in the embryo and extends throughout the life cycle. Due to economic and social distress, many women continue to work up to the last days of their pregnancy.

    Anemia—one of the most common conditions among Indian women, can result in maternal mortality, weakness, increased morbidity from infectious diseases, premature delivery, low birth weight. The children face impaired cognitive performance, motor development and academic achievement.

    One of the main challenges India has faced in the past is attempting to improve maternal health.

    Solution—

    Currently, the government is emphasizing on creating national programs for better maternal health outcomes. The “Ministry of Health and Family Welfare” provides iron and folic acid, immunizations, calcium and deworming tablets, counselling to pregnant women as part of antenatal care services and safe institutional delivery services. The Ministry has also decided to provide supplementary food as micronutrient-fortified food and energy-dense take-home ration for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

    There are many ‘Schemes started by the Central and the State Government’ that are proving better maternal health outcomes. Some of the essential programs are the Janani Suraksha Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Village Health and Nutrition Days, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, Wage Compensation Scheme for pregnant women, weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation, and Poshan Abhiyan.

    The Prime Minister’s scheme for holistic nutrition—Poshan Abhiyaan, launched in 2018 is a multi-ministerial mission with the vision to ensure a malnutrition free India by 2022. The program aims to provide holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children.

    The ‘Janani Suraksha Yojana’ is a safe motherhood program that provides cash assistance for delivery and post-delivery care under the National Health Mission. The mission aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among the poor pregnant women.

    The Pradhan Mantri ‘Matru Vandana Yojana’ is a maternity benefit program, that is implemented in all the districts of the country. It provides a cash incentive for pregnant women and lactating mothers as partial wage compensation, for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and also to provide conditions for safe delivery and proper nutrition and feeding practices.

    At the provincial level, the “Village Health and Nutrition Days” are organized to create awareness among pregnant women, lactating mothers and children. They encourage them for antenatal check-ups, good breastfeeding practices, family planning and immunization, to achieve better maternal and child health.

    The above programs not only strengthen maternal healthcare but also reduce the out of pocket expenses of the poor to receive healthcare. The challenge in implementing the programs is extending to all the assignee. At the district level, there is a lack of awareness regarding the maternal health services provided. The Government of India’s—National Rural Livelihood Mission is one of the world’s most significant capabilities for the betterment of the livelihoods of poor rural women and boost their economy.

    There is a requirement for improving maternal nutrition under new schemes such as Poshan Abhiyan as it will help reduce the prevalence of stunting and low birth weight among children.

    The regional inequities concerning maternal health need to be addressed through improved monitoring systems to enable evidence-based policymaking.

    Our team at EKAM Foundation can guide you through this. EKAM is a non-profit organization that compliments the government schemes, to help the underprivileged infants, children and mothers.

    Log onto www.ekamoneness.org to learn more about how EKAM can help build and sustain a community culture and platform that supports and encourages people to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

  • 29 Feb 2020 4:37 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    Why does India Have One of the Highest Rates of Infant Mortality in the World?

    Maternal education and household wealth play a very critical role in infant and child mortality.

    Since December 1, 2019, more than 500 infant deaths were reported from just six government hospitals in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Across India, there were 723,000 infant deaths in the year 2018, as per the United Nations’ child mortality estimates.

    “There are issues such as lack of appropriate facility at primary centres, delays in referring patients to doctors and lack of transportation—which lead to high infant deaths.”

    The low-quality health infrastructure, antenatal care, maternal health, and postnatal care jeopardise the lives of children.

    Infant deaths are more a cause of deeper social problems such as malnutrition, sanitation, and immunisation, rather than only medical aspects.

    India’s Survey Results —

    Many deaths occur before children turn one. Infant mortality rate (IMR), is reduced by 43% over past 12 years–from 57 per 1,000 live births in 2006 to 32 in 2017, as per government data released on May 30, 2019. But in spite of the reduction, India’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in 2017 remained higher than the global 29.4

    IMR is a rough indicator of a country’s overall healthcare structure. The latest information is got from the Sample registration survey (SRS) bulletin, which is released by office of the Census Commissioner and Ministry of Home Affairs. The last newsletter was issued in September 2017. In this year, India’s rural areas had an IMR of 38 and the urban regions 24, with differences in healthcare quality, despite the implementation of a national programme to bridge this gap, that is the— “National Rural Health Mission”.

    Reports of studies conducted, conclude that States with high infant mortality of up to 40 (per 1,000 births) have preventable causes of death such as Diarrhoea and Sepsis.

    Poor Primary Care —

    Since most deaths are among newborn, many of them can be prevented by reaching better coverage of good quality antenatal care, care at birth, postnatal care for the mother and the baby, and care for sick newborns. This statement was made by the 2019 report from the “United Nations Children’s Fund” (UNICEF).

    About 60% of deaths of children under five are among neonates–babies younger than 28 days. These deaths are preventable with cost-effective interventions, where babies are kept in skin-to-skin contact with the mother, given breastfeeding support and primary care against infections and breathing difficulties.

    Conclusion —

    A child born in a household of the highest level of the wealth index is more likely to survive early childhood compared to a child born in the lowest level. The launch of facility-based newborn care under the National Rural Health Mission has created Newborn healthcare corners at every point of childbirth.

    EKAM Foundation’s, [an NGO] vision is to work towards providing quality healthcare to needy infants, children and mothers in India. The foundation was started with an underlying concern that no child should be denied the right to right healthcare.

    EKAM’s plays a full-fledged part in the wellbeing of children and mothers; and thereby contribute to a reduction in infant, childhood, adolescent and maternal deaths.

    EKAM is a unique health care model.

    So, log onto www.ekamoneness.org to learn more.

  • 25 Feb 2020 4:41 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    A healthy childhood is a must for a child to have a good start in life. Good health and primary education is the necessity and the foundation for the development of an individual.

    Attaining a better future for every Indian child requires involvement and focus in a few crucial areas. These essential interventions can empower the children while giving them access to possibilities they could have never thought about. India needs to make certain investments required to provide the children with a sustainable and healthy future.

    With rising complex health diseases like asthma, diabetes and eating disorders, raising a healthy child is not easy.

    Food habits and physical activities are the main deciding factors. Due to unhealthy/irregular eating habits, not enough food on the plate or overeating can cause the present generation of kids to have health issues.

    Some Key Areas to Cover —

    Nutrition —Girls access to food and health is given less priority. Also, children with a lack of access to a balanced diet perform poorly in school. Realizing the importance of child development, the government has initiated the Rs. 12,000 crore Mid-Day Meal Programs. The program provides daily meals to the underprivileged children in almost 12 lakh schools.

    Child Abuse Report —

    Due to increased urban population, the number of street-dwelling children and their abuse is rising. About 28% of children live in slums and do not go to schools. India’s Juvenile Justice Act 2000 mandates State Governments to establish ‘Child Welfare Committee’ (CWC) across districts. Public servants, police officers, NGO personnel, social workers and even citizens can bring victims of abuse to a CWC.

    Female Child Education —

    With the help of education, girls can develop the skills and knowledge to become skilled workers and employees in the future. Female child education uplifts families and sure enough–girls can stand up for themselves and their communities, enhancing their health and prosperity and fighting early marriage. NGOs like EKAM, organize community events to sensitize communities about girl child education.

    Donating to NGO “EKAM” –

    Complimenting to the governmental organizations to eradicate exploitation and empower children, leading NGO ‘EKAM’ works towards health and education of our children. Please donate to enable swift access to financial resources for communities who need it immediately. The NGO’s programme work to prevent illiteracy and malnutrition across India.

    Support disaster charity events –

    According to “United Nations Office” for Disaster Reduction Analysis, India ranks among the top 2, most disaster-hit countries. In a disaster, children face a unique set of risk which need to be addressed as soon as possible. An emergency preparedness, response plan and an IT-driven disaster risk Reduction project across schools, is very much needed.

    Over to You —

    One of the ways you can help NGO — EKAM to give our children a better future–is to donate. The ‘NGO’s Programs’ are run in conjunction with government bodies, corporations and other entities and are designed to provide every child with a meaningful, dignified and independent future. To instantly join this movement, connect with EKAM at www.ekamoneness.org.

    Every child deserves a reasonable physical, emotional and social environment for growth and wellbeing.

    “Save our children.”

  • 18 Feb 2020 5:20 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    Vaccinations should begin early in an infant’s life and continue regularly throughout childhood and adolescence, to protect from diseases. Immune defenses keep us protected from harmful disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi.

    Diseases (caused due to lack of vaccination) can be severe – even deadly – mainly for infants and young children.

    Measles and Whooping cough are examples of how vaccine-preventable severe diseases could be. Measles is still a common disease in many parts of the world. It can cause pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and even death. Children are at the highest risk of complications, which, in severe cases, can cause death.

    Benefits of Vaccination

    It is the first line of defense for every human. Vaccination is a process by which a person is made disease resistant with the help of vaccines. It stimulates the immune system, improving one’s health. Vaccines work with the baby’s natural defenses to help them safely build immunity to deadly diseases. Vaccines are a valid medical advancement that continues to save lives every day. They keep other children safe by eliminating or decreasing dangerous conditions that can quickly spread from one child to the other.

    During and after pregnancy, the mother and her baby have a feeble immune system making them susceptible to diseases. Therefore, they must receive regular vaccines to keep their immunity up.

    Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can occur between 2-4 months. These vaccines protect the mother and child from underlying illnesses like cough, cold, and fever to life-threatening diseases like hepatitis, measles, polio, mumps, tetanus and even diphtheria. Infant mortality in India is still at a shocking high – simple schedule of vaccination, however, can make a world of difference.

    Studies show that following an immunization schedule, prevents about four million deaths every year, WHO states that available vaccines can prevent 20% of infant deaths annually.

    Keeping track of immunizations

    Most of the child’s vaccinations are completed between birth to 6 years. Some vaccines are given more than once, at different ages, and in combinations. Keep a careful record of your child’s shots.

    Studies show that about two-thirds of preschool children are missing at least one routine vaccination. Therefore, it is imperative to make up for the missed immunizations.

    We, as a community, can strengthen the foundation of a healthy childhood by supporting easy access to immunization where it matters the most.

    Our team at EKAM Foundation can help with education about the right immunization schedule.

    Log onto www.ekamoneness.org to connect and learn more.

  • 12 Feb 2020 5:24 PM | EKAM Foundation (Administrator)


    We are in the year 2020 now, and we reflect on the past and dream of a Healthy India. Here are some points we need to ponder on, which can help us reach better heights of health.

    • A Raise in Budget Grant—The National and State budget assignments must increase by a min of 30% in the next year. An increase in state government allocations to health is necessary: states increasing their distribution by 2% every year will help reach the goal of 8% in four years. Increased spending will fund the “National Health Mission” as well as Health and Wellness Centres that will, in turn, help improve access to quality of primary healthcare. We as a country also dream of sufficient assignments to fund the Centre’s—Strategic plan to influence ‘Tuberculosis’, which remains the biggest threat to India’s General Health.
    • Building a good rapport and trust between doctors and patients— the Year 2019 is remembered for the lack of trust between doctors and the public, leading to several occasions of violence against doctors, and they took to the streets during the protest. Let us wish the year 2020 marks the beginning of an era of understanding and better communication between doctors and patients.
    • Introducing Eggs in Anganwadi Centres—The Government of India released its first National Nutrition Survey in 2019. Findings confirmed Persistent Malnutrition among children in India. Solution–Anganwadi centres in many states introduce eggs in their daily meals. Eggs can take care of the protein needs of young children at an affordable price. Hoping that policymakers will stick to their original decision to supply eggs in Anganwadi meals and contribute to nourishing India’s underprivileged children.
    • Creating Safe Workplaces—In 2020, India’s workers across sectors must have access to safe working environments and hope that factory owner and managers become more sensitive to their employees’ safety.
    • Pushing against Tuberculosis—Apart from its debilitating effects – on individual people as well as their friends, families and communities – tuberculosis continues to push people into poverty even after it has been treated.

    There is a delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, especially among the sparse population, who do not visit a doctor until the symptoms have become severe. Poor nutrition also affects the result of the treatment. In this new year, we wish more patients of tuberculosis are provided with compassionate healthcare, nutritious food and income opportunities they need, to get rid of this disease.

    The need for Primary Healthcare Centres to furnish care closer to home, paying attention to prevention and early detection, has never been very acute in India. Generating more of them will significantly improve the population’s health outcomes, even as they reduce the overall need for hospital care. In turn, this will reduce the load on doctors, nurses, lab-workers, technicians and other hospital staff.

    India does have a large number of primary healthcare centres and subcenters, but are not enough. A report the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, released last year showed that in 14 states, not one single of these facilities meet the National Public Health Standards set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    There are two parts of the Government’s—”Ayushman Bharat Scheme”. Out of them, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana [the universal health insurance scheme], has received more attention and resources.

    To mention an example–A Primary Healthcare centre in the tribal district of Dungarpur deals with medical emergencies, provides outpatient care, conducts safe childbirth and provides preventive care to women and children.

    Wish all primary healthcare centres in the country provide similar care with dignity, especially to the needy and deprived.

    Ø Girls and Women can access health care whenever they require—Gender discrimination in India begins with the birth of a girl. The way such prejudice manifests is when parents take lesser, girls and women, to the healthcare facilities for medical assistance when they need it. Example–In specialized newborn-care units in the country, more boys than girls are admitted, confirming an unsettling truth: Inequity begins at birth.

    In this new year–2020, we hope to see a Healthy Planet with more women and girls receiving healthcare when they need it. We also hope that both the state and central governments are more enterprising on this front.

    Our team at EKAM Foundation works towards providing quality healthcare to needy children and mothers in India. The foundation was started with an underlying theory that no child should be denied the right to healthcare. EKAM’s vision is to work for the wellbeing of children and mothers; and thereby contribute to a reduction in infant, childhood, adolescent and maternal deaths. EKAM is a distinctive health care model, primarily focusing on neonates, infants and pregnant women.

    Log onto www.ekamoneness.org for more information.

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